Michigan—This summer, eleven members of the St. Joseph (Mich.) Church departed for the Caribbean. “A vacation?” you might ask. No, they were commissioned to transport a most precious cargo—God’s love and glad tidings of salvation to the Dominican Republic.

Six adults and five young people—Tina and Ceaira Derosier, Sheri and Brennen Gent, Glenda and Jovon Winnell, Linda Haulcomb, Donald Milliken, Barbara and Yvonne Echeverria, and Jim Schlaman—answered the gospel commission to “Go tell.” Through the ministry of Global Evangelism, and ten Dominican churches, these laity publicly shared their testimony of God’s greatness in their lives, inviting others to open themselves to an encounter with the Almighty.

Weeks of car washes, yard sales, cleaning churches, bagging groceries, selling phone cards, and generous donations from fellow church members, friends, and family generated the $1,500 per person needed to cover airfare, visa, meals, lodging, and ground transportation expenses for this endeavor.

For sixteen nights, these elevent ambassadors for God touched hearts and lives with their Bible-based preaching and musical selections. What the St. Joseph volunteers hadn’t expected was the overwhelming appreciation for missions which quickly developed within each of them. And the other gifts they received? Seeing a nightly attendance of 200–400 per site, Bible-based truths being new to more than half of those attending, 141 persons reported baptized at five sites, with an average of 20 individuals per site expressing the desire for baptism in the near future!

Once again the promise proved to be true—“…you will find Me when you search for Me with all your heart” (see Deuteronomy 4:29).

Another group is headed for the Dominican Republic in January 2005. If the Spirit prompts you to be a part of this lay movement, contact Tom Martin, Global Evangelism coordinator, at tomslowtyper@aol.com.

Jane Sabes, St. Joseph Church communication director